Government planning multi-modal transport, says Gadkari

New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS) Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said the government has come up with a multi-modal transport hub plan, which will be an integrated system for major modes of transport.

Major transportation modes such as road, railway, port and air, would be aimed at in this plan.

“We have come across new concept, which has emerged as modern concept at global level. We had constituted a consultant to study if multi-modal system can be built in Nagpur and Varanasi. The consultant has submitted its report, which we are studying now,” Gadkari said during annual general meeting of Ficci here.

He also said that his ministry’s efforts of port-led industrialisation will be a “game-changer”.

“We have decided to turn 111 rivers into inland waterways. We are building river port, which will be like bus stand, railway station,” he said.

“We are building 40 water ports including three multi-modal hubs on 1,620 km stretch of Ganga river between Varanasi and Haldia. We have to think how we can shift to waterways from the roadways in order to reduce logistic cost,” Gadkari said.

“These ports will be engine for growth. We are building Rs 800 crore passenger terminal in Mumbai. We have signed agreement for 60 cruise,” the minister said.

“We have plans to build 12 major ports and 200 ports on 111 rivers, which makes the total length of waterways to 20,000 km. So it (cruise plan) will be an advantage for the water transport,” he added.

Gadkari also said the government has proposed construction of 12 express highways across the country for the first time.

He added the government was building two Rs 15,000-crore by-passes, which would relieve Delhi of traffic congestion and pollution.

Gadkari said that he would be using debris at the Ghazipur dumping ground for the construction of highway between Delhi and Meerut.

Gadkari invited Indian investors to be part of infrastructure building across the country.

He said that his ministry has enough funds to support the transport infrastructure projects.

Gadkari said that his ministry targeted to implement Rs 25 lakh crore worth of projects in five years Of these, Rs 15 lakh crore will be in road sector and Rs 10 lakh crore in shipping sector.